Recovery
by spopococ
Summary: Sequel to Inebriated, but can stand alone. xD Two Shot. Reno/Cloud. Reno's been missing for a month now, on a mission out of his control. How can he bring Cloud to understand that his sudden departure was not his choice?
1. Chapter 1

Sequel to 'Inebriated'. Probably best to read that before this, ALTHOUGH, this can be seen as a stand-alone fic. Great for all you people who CBF.

This is entirely dedicated to three people.

Brunette S Angel: Because I love her forever. xD Isn't it awesome how fanfic makes you meet people that turn out to be really awesome friends/writing pals? :3

The Well Loved Stray: Who begged and pleaded for this to be done and Stray's cousin who wanted this story done prob more than others xD

*less than threes to all of you*

**Warnings: Repeated coarse language. It IS Reno we're talking about. Oh, and the smut, yes. Boy/boy. Re-ow for me, not so much for others.**

--

It was a pretty dark night out, as far as I could tell, which is just perfect for me really. Not only that, but I could see jack shit from the position I was in, apart from a few of the locals hovering around and waiting with me.

"Don't fuck up..." My partner murmured from the side, handing me my gun and silencer, before I slipped it into the back of my pants.

"You have such little faith in me, yo..." I sulked, as he clipped me over the back of the head.

"Come back alive so I can kick your ass."

"Done deal."

This was pretty much how it always was, with a reassurance that neither of us really said, just understood. This time was a little different though, as he looked at me and effectively saw a stranger looking back. I hadn't been undercover since my rookie days, but I'd be fucked if I wasn't still confident as hell with it. I moved casually from the alleyway into the main street, just as they decided to flick all the lights on.

"Hello and welcome to the first annual Junon night fair!" a familiar voice chirped over the speakers, "Be sure to sample the city's fine arts and crafts for the next three hours, and why not enjoy some of the local cuisine whilst taking a carousel or Ferris wheel ride? Get your fortune read by the amazing Cait Sith, or have your picture taken with the last known remaining Cosmonian, Nanaki! Both are by the ticket booth beside the entrance to the item shop. Tonight only, half price sales on everything! Enjoy your night!"

Fuck! If Reeve was announcing, and Nanaki was putting in the effort to help with activities...

"That's a kick ass sword mister!" I heard a kid exclaim.

"Watch your language kid, or I'll show you how kick ass it is..."

Cloud. Shit. Shit, shit, shit!

"Hey, aren't you the guy that whooped Sephiroth's lanky white ass?" The kid pressed.

"And you think a prawn like you is gonna be a hassle? Watch the tongue," Cloud warned again, and I held back a smile as I spotted him by a cake stall. I'd missed the bastard more than I could really explain, and I'd felt like a royal fuck for what I did. Oh, so about a month ago we'd had a little encounter and all, where I'd finally lured Mister Untouchable to realise that I had it for him _bad_ and we'd ended up tumbling into bed in what would become the recurring wet dream of my life thus far. The next day, Tseng had called up on the God damned phone and thrown this piece of shit mission my way. I'd been carted off to Mideel in isolation for a week while some hot shot plastic surgery team gave me an entirely revamped appearance, then sent off gallivanting across various other locations across the world as part of some fucked up drug ring. These guys were the real deal, you know, and I'd done some shit that even I wasn't all that happy with in order to make my way up the chain as quickly as possible. Cloud had called about a million times, left a million voicemails, but because of the integrity of the mission and all that bullshit, I'd left him pretty fucked over.

Come to think of it though, maybe it was a good thing he was here tonight. Tonight was when it was all really happening, which explained the large amount of Turks slinking through the crowd without drawing as much attention as any other happy camper there. Tonight, it was time to take the boss man in, or take him out... After all that shit was dealt with, I could grovel like a bitch and hope to shit that Cloud and me could have a decent shot. I mean hell, I couldn't believe it myself, but I wanted something a little more than the one night stands I was getting offers for, you know? Maybe he'd even like something like that too, 'cause it sure as hell didn't seem like he was the one night stand kind of gu- Shit, he's looking right at me. Surely he wouldn't recognise me. Those Mideel whack jobs did such a shit hot job that I shit myself when they first handed me a mirror. Thank fuck it's reversible, but still... His eyebrows were kind of furrowed like he was trying to figure something out, and that was _not_ a good thing.

"Cloud?"

He turned to the speaker then, and I let out the breath I'd sucked in. Thank Gaia for that nagging bitch Tifa, as he turned to help her frost some kind of sponge cake. I took that little window of opportunity and started scoping for one of my little drug 'buddies'. It was then that I felt another pair of eyes on me. I looked around but didn't see a soul who stood out in the slightest, so instead I headed for one of the stalls and had a half assed look at some porcelain kittens.

"Cameron," A voice said to the left of me, and I grinned casually.

"Present, yo."

Cameron. Of all the Gaia damned names they could have given me... Made me wanna puke every time I heard it.

"Diablo's in the residence two streets down from here. He wants to meet with you in twenty minutes, do not be late."

The rather shady looking stranger then handed me an envelope and left as quickly as he came. It had been like that time and time again, rendezvous after rendezvous with a variety of characters, each as shady as the last. This Diablo asshole was a hard one to find, but I'd gained enough of that superficial trust for him to agree to meet with me. That's when I'd find out whether to take him in or out.

Tseng didn't like this guy, he'd made that much painfully obvious at the last briefing.

_"The more reason you can find to shoot the fucker, the better... In fact, look for it. Set him up, I don't give a shit."_

_"What's wrong Tseng? You sound like this guy kicked your ass a few times in second grade or something."_

_"Filth like that piece of shit isn't worth the money we spend on incarceration."_

Yeah, none of us really questioned beyond that... Maybe we would have if we'd had the balls or lack of insanity to question anything that crazy son of a bitch had to say, but it was a hard task to commit to.

"Reno..." Another soft voice in my ear, and I seized up like a bitch. No one here was meant to know who I was, and if it was a Turk, I was strictly Cameron. That piercing gaze was the same as before though.

"Relax, you'll give yourself away. Does Reeve know you're here?" the voice continued, a sense of familiarity licking at me.

I eased myself into picking up one of the God damned cats and toyed with it idly, still not facing my potential enemy.

"How'd you know?" I asked smoothly, and a soft laugh exited the speaker's lips.

"I can spot an undercover Turk from a mile away. There's a swarm of you here," the stranger said airily, "You seem to forget it was my job to make sure you all did it right."

Job? Wait...

"Vincent..."

"They've done a good job in Mideel," He remarked, "Admittedly I wasn't overly certain it was you for a moment..."

"What gave me away?"

"Think about it, yo."

Naw fuck. Always the lingo. It couldn't have been the voice, 'cause I had that stupid alteration device making sure I sounded more like a slick Junon rebel, rather than a cocky assed Midgarian Turk.

"I'll keep it in mind, I guess..." I shrugged, and he almost chuckled.

"What are you doing here anyway? Your little exchange before did not go un-noticed," Vincent stated, looking entirely uncomfortable as he too picked up one of the kittens awkwardly, "Tired of destroying Neo-Midgar? Extending the reach elsewhere?"

"Ha freaking ha..."

"Diablo then?"

"How the fu-"

"I have my contacts. You must be the operant they sent in."

"Spot on Sherlock," I said dryly, "But keep it on the down low yeah?"

"I intend to. Make sure you work on the walk a little more too," He added, "It's meant to be a fair, not a catwalk."

"Gaia, ease up Valentine. I dunno what's sharper, your claw or your fucken tongue," I snapped, and he snorted this time. He sure had lightened up since all that shit with Sephiroth had been taken care of. Maybe he felt a little bit better about being an ex-Turk now that we were on the same team. I went to ask him on that, but the slinky bastard had disappeared.

The old woman at the stall was smiling expectantly, and I dunno what it was about the old folks, but it caved me in to buying a fucking kitten. I stuffed it into my pocket as she thanked me about a hundred times, and slipped back into the crowd. I guess if I'm being casual and all, I may as well have a look around. Just about all of Strife's hero patrol was there. Yuffie was operating some dodgy card game, Cid was perched in the dunking tank, egging Barrett on as the gunman threw ball after ball at the target, a small group of gathered people groaning slightly with every miss.

"Get some arm into it, you piss weak girl!" Cid snorted, before Barrett finally hit the mark, the pilot dunking into the water rather abruptly, as the crowd let out a cheer. I was tempted to try that later actually... Nanaki looked about as thrilled as Cid actually, as several kids clambered on him to have their photos taken by eager parents. That was until Tifa came to the rescue, offering free cookies, whilst the dog slipped into the shadows, tail glowing between his sorry ass. Then, I spotted him again, the blonde beauty in all his sexed up glory surrounded by a group of stunning looking girls. He looked akin to a cornered animal, and I snorted at the knowledge of why he was so uncomfortable, not to mention the large amount of time those girls were wasting with each bat of an eyelid. He was like a female-phobe.

"..._Sephiroth_of all people. That's amazing."

"I had a lot of help from friends..." Cloud deflected.

"But your physique says otherwise," fembot number one replied with a little giggle, playfully patting his arms as if to highlight the beefed up muscle you'd find there. Fuck, he really was gorgeous... He hadn't changed in a month, which was more than I could say about me. His eyes were still like daggers, piercing like a bitch, with blonde spikes continuing to defy gravity, and skin as flawless and touchable as ever.

"Isn't he something?" A girl beside me, lovingly dubbed fembot number two, remarked, her eyes obviously catching me staring.

"Fuck yes..." I said under my breath, as she eyed me off curiously.

"You think that brunette girl is his girlfriend?"

"Tifa?" I snorted, "Ah babes you're up the wrong tree twice there..."

"Hey you..." Cloud himself said, and I kicked myself when I looked up to find his gaze settled firmly on me, "You look familiar somehow."

Well shit, Mideel must have done a pretty alright job. Cloud's wits were sharp and all, but even he was a little hesitant, like he wasn't _really_ sure it was me. Thank Gaia for the voice alteration shit too, cause if anyone could pick up my voice, it would be Cloud. All I had to do was make sure I didn't end up swallowing the fucking thing.

"Me? Dunno why..." I shrugged, and I felt his eyes drag along my body. Ah fuck, even that still did it to me, knowing that it was Cloud giving me a look over, and I felt the blood stir a little. I couldn't let him look too hard, and it was for one main reason. Sure, the hair had been restyled and dyed brown into a style resembling Rufus', I'd lost the ponytail, had a bunch of little alterations to my skin and the temporary remoulding of my face, but... The one thing Cloud had told me stood out and even unsettled him on occasion, were the eyes. They might be brown now to match the 'do and all, but when I looked in a mirror, they were the only thing that made me remember it was me looking back, you know? Who knows, Cloud might just be sentimental enough to see through it all.

"I'll see you around I guess," I shrugged casually once more, signaling the fact that I was leaving, "Enjoy the girls, yo."

His eyes widened on that last little word, showing me he flat out _knew,_ but I high tailed it the fuck out of there before he could say anything. It was _always_ the God damned lingo...

--

He had taste. I guess he could afford it as a dealer and all. The thing was though, that I was just about as set in my mind as Tseng was that this guy was a real dark kind, you know? Besides, half the shit I did myself had nothing to do with drugs, and I was thinking it was more like a mafia sector. These guys just got to me. I guess it was the upbringing on the street that did it, after copping beatings and God knows what else from their kinds. It's what you got for standing out, and so I'd learnt to slip into the crowds and be non-existent. Funnily enough, that's exactly how I got noticed, as Tseng had caught me by the wrist trying to snatch the bag of some airheaded bimbo on her cell phone. He'd given me a quick look over, ratty clothes, shit-eating smirk, grubby little face and all.

_"I wouldn't try it slick..." _He'd murmured, _"I have a better idea for you."_

And so, I was a Turk. Tseng had swept me under his wing and steered me to the spot I was in today. I wasn't turning back for all the money in the world. That was the other thing. This new world, you know, where everyone got along ok and I was fighting alongside the hero patrol, not against them? It was growing on me, and this guy was plain fucking it up.

"Cameron, so nice to meet you!" A voice said as the big ass wooden door before me swung open. So this was Diablo eh? Weedy little shit. Thinning hair, glasses, ribs poking through his shirt. I guess I was expecting something a little more Don Corneo, you know, someone as fat as their wallet that looked born into the mob.

"Diablo hey?"

"Yes. Do you have that envelope?"

I nodded and handed it over. Standard way of showing the prick that I was who I said I was, handing over the envelope that one of his own men had given me. His flunkies looked me up and down, before Diablo shook his head.

"We're trusting here, no need to be so suspicious."

Perfect.

"Come in!" Diablo beamed, stepping aside as he gestured me to enter, "Would you like a drink?"

"I don't really drink actually."

Pffsh, yeah right. More like 'I don't wanna get smashed off my face and spill my guts, but thanks'. I had a loose tongue the more alcohol that was pumped into me. Cloud had found that out first hand...

"Very well, sit down then," He continued to smile, as he gestured at two sofas opposite each other. I sat down and inwardly sighed with relief as he ordered his men away. This was an acting stage though, and I had a lead role, so I had to play it up for all it was worth. I stretched languidly across the couch, allowing one of my arms to drape over the side, the other pulling my cigarettes out of my breast pocket.

"D'ya mind if I smoke?" I asked, and he shook his head, a small smile along his lips as I put my death stick between my own and lit it. He picked up the alcohol he had poured himself and swirled the glass lightly.

"I'm told you want to work for me on a more permanent basis?" He said casually, taking small sips from the beverage perched precariously in his hands.

"Sure I do. I just want a little more info on what exactly it is we're doing here, you know?" I shrugged, "I wanna be sure I'm not liable to fuck up too much."

He laughed at this and clapped his hands together.

"I like you kid, you've got flair. I'll tell you what though, I reckon you could do just about anything I put you up to," He shrugged, "But if you're still eager to hear it..."

"I like to know what shit I'm getting into. Sure, the pay's the important part, but background knowledge never hurts, you know?"

He nodded, smirking slightly.

"I suppose you watch the movies, see the guys on there shooting rounds off in big stand offs against the cops. Gangsters, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"I guess we're a little like they are really. We're on the wrong side of the law boy, and if Strife or Shinra found out about it, they'd be dealing with us swift like..." He laughed lightly, "But so far we've kept under the radar."

"Perfect Cameron, perfect," A little voice buzzed in my ear, and I damn near shit myself. I forgot I was wired to the teeth. It was quite literally too, a thin piece of transmitting wire and a small mic was sending out the signal from my god damn teeth to Tseng, undoubtedly somewhere a few blocks from here. With that came the tiny little device that they'd jabbed into the back of my ear, letting me hear whatever Tseng had to say about it also.

"Kept it under the radar? What kinda shit you dealing with then?"

"We're the biggest drug transportation company across the planet. Everything you can get your hands on has touched mine first. We dominate the fucking planet, Cam, can you imagine that bullshit?!" he laughed, "And it ain't even stopping there."

I waited for him to continue, as he placed his glass on the table and leant forward.

"Prostitution too, kid. Top of the line shit. You don't wanna know what we do to get the beauty and brawn, but we got top of the range. As well as that, gambling rings, hands dipped into every business across Midgar and Junon, and the only ones who think that this is a bad thing is Shinra and Strife," Diablo sighed, "Add that shithead Reeve into the mixture, you know, Mister popularity of the world, and we've got some fucking huge ass problems extending horizons, you know?"

"We're gonna nab this fucker, keep it up..." Tseng murmured, and I couldn't help but feel a little unsettled at the tone of my commander's voice. He was colder than I'd heard him before.

"Sounds like you've got a good system going on here, Diablo," I shrugged, "But what's in it for me?"

"Depends on the things you're gonna be doing for me, slick. You do well, I'll give you wealth and power. You do great, I'll give you shares and anything money can buy. You really impress the shit out of me, I'll give you a whole fucking continent."

"Continent?"

"Wutai. We've been working on suppressing and killing off any rebellion, and as far as the rest of the world knows, the sons of bitches are as happy as they always were," He snickered coldly then, "Besides, what do I need with a floating cesspool of their kind eh? But, do you know what kind of _wealth_ comes from Wutai? Tourism from that place is fucking huge. Build a couple of high rise hotels and shit on there, and it'll triple."

It all made sense now. Tseng had never been a fan of the exploitation of his nation, despite leaving there when he was young. It was the only place I knew of that brought a smile to the old guy's face without fail.

_"Wutai is a place of great beauty, and for a nation to have such a rich history and culture, yet still be able to retain it? It's a rarity, Reno..."_

Heck, even I loved Wutai, all thanks to Tseng. Who the fuck did this guy think he was, trying to take that away?

"We operate in every continent and country, whatever point's closest to a shipping dock. I leave a shitload of false paper trails and set up the docking stations so that I have other people working for me even within the government. Tuetsi would have a fit," He remarked airily, "I don't usually tell that to people Cameron, you know, but on the rarest of occassions I tend to brag a little for my own self gratitude."

"I'm honoured then that you think that much of me, yo."

"Oh that isn't it," He smirked, finishing the last of his glass, "As I said, Only very select times I allow people to hear of our dealings, Cameron."

"Shit..." Tseng muttered, as Diablo sat up straight.

"The truth is, Reno," He smirked, "Is that I never intended on you leaving."

"Get the fuck out of there!" Tseng hissed, but I was already a step ahead, off the couch and pulling my gun from my pants, just as Diablo drew his. It all kind of slowed down then, as the realisation hit that one of us bastards was gonna die. The adrenaline kicked in though, and I was fucked if it was going to be me, as I began firing shots.

I felt it then, a bullet rip through my shoulder, but a bitter satisfaction crept along my conscious as I realised that Diablo's gun was hitting the ground, his blood spilling from his chest. Got the fucker. Didn't have all that much time to celebrate however, as there were a few very frenzied bangs on the door. The cavalry was coming.

"Reno, get the fuck out!" Tseng urged, "We're heading in. Get away from here till the heat dies down."

"Will do," I replied, making a bee line for the window. I clambered out and straightened my suit, taking out the voice alteration thing and tossing it in my pocket. Naw fuck, that wound was really starting to sting like a bitch. I hated being shot. I didn't have much time to dwell on what I was meant to do now, before I was grabbed by the collar and thrown against the wall, letting out a cuss as my shoulder burnt.

"I knew it, you little fuck..." Cloud hissed, as I spotted his very distinct mako eyes through the darkness. In hindsight, lucky I took out the speaker box, or the force from his blow would probably have had me choking on it.

"Blondie!" I took a chance at grinning, before he dealt me a nice hit to the stomach. I spluttered a little, before he shook me roughly.

"You said Turks didn't do this shit anymore. I heard shots; You just killed someone, didn't you?" He spat.

"My gun was silenced, yo. The gun you heard was the fucker that shot me first," I replied firmly in my defense, as he took a look at my bleeding shoulder for the first time. That was before the sound of the door inside being broken in drew me back to the current situation.

"He must have gone out the window!" I heard a voice call, as Cloud's face reflected my panic.

"Ya, ok, we need to talk, but we better get the fuck outta here, yo," I said quickly, snatching his hand with my own and taking off, dragging him with me.

"There!" the same voice called, just as we rounded the corner, yet another stray bullet clipping my side.

"Fucking hell man! How many bullets you bastards think I can handle?!" I hissed through my teeth, and all of a sudden, Cloud was dragging my ass along and hoisting me onto his huge ass motorbike behind him. I grabbed onto his back as best as I could with a dicked up shoulder, and we were off in a flash, voices and gunfire coming from behind us.

Cloud Strife: hero to the world, saviour of my ass.

--

I could feel the tension bundled up right across his chest and stomach, and even as I clutched onto him and feared for my life with his road skills, another part of me was fiercely enjoying it.

"What the fuck's going on Reno?!" I heard him snap into the wind, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Ooh yeah, we really needed to talk this shit out... but did he really think that going 150 km/h down a dirt road, whilst fleeing from a bunch of severely pissed mafia style crackpots, was the right time or place to do it?

"Ya wanna talk when we stop, Strife?" I replied dryly, and he increased the speed and leant forward on the bike.

"FUCK!" I hissed, "You _trying_ to get us killed?!"

"Only you," He replied bitterly, easing up on the accelerator, and I cringed a little. At first, I was thinking it was just cause his words really hit a nerve there, but then it kind of hit me that it wasn't just the chest that caught a bit of a sharp blow. My shoulder was burning furiously, and as I shakily took a hand off of Cloud's waist to touch my own, I realised that I was losing a shit load of blood from my side wound as well. A Turk's tolerance to pain usually caused him more of a hassle than it was worth. You felt pain, usually, you'd go to a doctor, and he'd fix you up in a flash, ya know? With a Turk, you didn't feel much else except a dull throbbing kind of feeling, before you were crawling into your own grave with blood loss. Whoaaa... there it was... wooziness... My mouth was becoming dry, and my head was anywhere but on this planet, as I subconsciously felt myself fall against Cloud's back.

"..Reno?" He called, as I struggled to hold my eyes open. This shit was heavy...

"...Reno!" I heard him call out again, as I felt a dull panic through my body, as it started to lean to the side...

--

My eyes snapped open with the first realisation that I was on fire, as I stared at the wall directly in front of me. Fuck! Fire?! I hissed through my teeth, as I tried to roll onto my back, and I heard movement from the other side of the room. Room? Was it a room? The wall looked like it was made out of dirt or something. What the _fuck?!_

"Relax Reno, stay still..." I heard a familiar voice murmur, and as the logic seeped back into me, I realised that fire hadn't been the right guess after all... I was just severely hurting...

"F-fuck me... what happened?" I choked, as I struggled to move. Cloud's face appeared over me however, his eyebrows creased into an impatient frown as he slowly rolled me over and held me down.

"I told you to stay still," he snapped.

Ya, alright, alright... Fair call...

"'Kay..." I grumbled, "But what happened? I feel worse than when I got shot, yo."

"That's probably because you _are_ worse than when you got shot..."

"Then what happened?!" I snapped, and he pressed against my side. I howled and bit back on the string of expletives, as his scowl became venemous. Ok, yeah, time to behave. Angry, murderous Cloud? Not good. I let out a soft sigh and lay as perfectly still as I could. I was in some kind of bed, and admittedly, it was comfortable as all hell. My first guess about the dirt walls seemed to be right, as I noticed the roof was made of the same stuff. Maybe clay, even?

"You fell," Cloud explained, once satisfied that I wasn't going to lash out again, "And I had to keep your ass here whilst you're healing, because I didn't have any other place to put you."

"What?"

"No way in hell are you coming back to my place..."

"I meant what do you mean, Blondie?" I frowned, "Fell?"

There was a little flicker of guilt across his face then, and he sat down in a seat by my bed.

"You fell off the bike..." Cloud shrugged lightly, "You probably wouldn't have come off so bad if I wasn't going quite so fast."

Mother fu-

"As soon as Tseng calls, 'cause I know he plans to, you can make your way back to Junon."

"What, you're sending me off on my own?"

"You seemed to have no problem with it last time..." Cloud said bitterly, and my stomach tightened with guilt of my own.

"Wanna talk about that shit yo?" I asked, and he shook his head.

"I gave you that chance five days ago, Red," Cloud paused, "And you pretty much blew me off-"

"Five days ago?!"

"You've been out that long..." Cloud shrugged, "Lucky you've got mako in your system or I figure you would have died by now."

His tone was cold, but being a Turk had its good moments for me; like me being able to see that flicker of concerned relief flick through his eyes.

"Lucky for both of us?" I suggested, and he stood up and headed for the door, "Cloud, come on man!"

"There's no 'us' slick, you made that clear, 'yo'. Stop being a spoilt little shit and shut up for once," Cloud snapped, before heading out and slamming the door behind him. Cloud = +1. Reno = -5.

--

Turns out Cloud had made friends with some old miner guy that lived just on the other side of the Midgar ranges, and when he'd returned to the planet, he'd left his little hideout cave to none other than Blondie himself. So, that's pretty much where I was, some shonky little cave out in the middle of nowhere, finding out this information from some will on the top of a desk. Yeah, Cloud hadn't really spoken to me all that much since our last little falling out, even though he popped in every couple of hours or so to 'make sure I hadn't died'. The hours in between his visits were hell. Do you have any idea how hard it is for someone like me to entertain myself? I'd considered over-riding the system lock on the phone Cloud had kept here, so that I could actually make outgoing calls, but I really didn't want him any more pissed than he already was. Most of the day had been spent lying in bed trying to supposedly heal, staring blankly at the ceiling. I startled slightly though, Turk mode kicking in automatically as I heard the door click open, before Cloud stepped inside. I offered a smile when he looked my way, but Mr. Doom and Gloom kept that sullen little frown plastered on his face, as I'd kinda expected he would. This was bullshit.

"Cloud man, talk to me," I urged, but he shook his head, heading over to the dresser and pulling off a new stack of bandages. That's it, I'd get him now…

He brought over the box of dressings etc. and sat on the bed beside me, gesturing for me to sit up. I did so carefully, making sure to hold his eye contact as I did so. As expected, he turned away, focusing his attention on the box of medical shit.

"How are you feeling today?" He asked, peeling off the dressing on my abdomen.

"Shit," I said simply, and he frowned, his eyes still turned away from mine as he reached for a fresh dressing.

"I thought you were feeling a little better yesterday," He remarked, reaching to place a new dressing against my skin, "What's change-"

He stopped as I caught his wrist and focused all my energy on making sure the bastard knew how serious I was.

"_Nothing's_ changed, and that's the problem, yo."

He yanked his wrist from my hand and roughly stuck a new dressing on, before standing again. Son of a bitch!

"Cloud, I know you still got something there yo, or knowing our pretty detailed past you would have left me in Junon to die."

"Fuck up, Reno, I'm sick of hearing your shit," Cloud spat, finally rounding his fiery gaze onto me. I cringed a little at first, but being a Turk and all, you get to see past what looks to be hatred and latch on to what he was trying to hide in there. And fuck me, he was hurting…

"Naw hell…" I muttered under my breath, and his fiery gaze flickered slightly in confusion.

"I didn't want for you to get hurt, yo," I said kinda softer than even I'd meant to, "But you, being the stubborn son of a bitch you are, ain't willing to let me explain myself."

"You don't listen, _yo_," Cloud said bitterly, "I don't want to hear your shit."

There's only so much a Turk can take…

"For the sake of all that is holy, shut the fuck up and listen," I snapped, "Because I sure as hell can't deal with this tiptoe round the tulips shit. You wanna hear the truth? Then listen. You wanna believe whatever you want and not even give me the time of the day to _talk_ to you, then whatever, fuck off."

He stood rigidly still for a few moments, eyes blazing furiously as he gaped slightly. Then, he fucked off. As the door slammed behind him, I can only figure he didn't wanna give me the time of day after all. With that thought, I couldn't help but think maybe he should have left me in Junon after all.

--

I dozed off some time after Blondie left, and woke to the sound of that God forsaken phone. I dragged my sorry ass out of bed and snatched it up, pressing the talk button.

"Yo."

"Reno?"

"Tseng. Yo bossman, how's things looking on your end?"

"Better. We're just about ready to come for you. Strife has told us where you are. Just as a precaution, we'll be heading there by car, so you'll have to stay put for another day or so."

"I can live with that…"

"…How about you Reno?" Tseng paused, "I hear you've taken quite a lot of damage."

"I'm all good," I shrugged, ignoring the slight pang of pain I felt in my shoulders as I did so, "I'm ready to come back, yo."

"I don't think you are, Red," Tseng said softly, "Strife still seems to be under the impression that what happened was your own fault. He left before I could argue otherwise."

"So? His fault, not mine," I shrugged again and was reward with another pang of pain. God damn it, why'd I bother? It's not like the ass can see me faking casual anyway.

"Have it your own way, you cocky little bastard," Tseng replied airily, "But I can only feel as if you don't want to leave with things how they are."

There was nothing I hated more in my life than the moments when Tseng was right. Asshole.

I hung up the phone and flung it across the room, falling back into bed and letting out a disgruntled sigh. Gaia, what had happened to me? I was a Turk, a hardass fighting machine, a legend on the streets… and I was on breaking point over something as trivial as some guy…Who the fuck was I kidding though, trying to refer to Cloud as 'some guy'? He was… urgh… He was different. Special, you know? I'd had my eye on him since his cadet days, when he used to be around Zack and General Psychoroth, that smile lighting up his face as his determination kept pushing him and pushing him to be the absolute best he could be…He was so alive, so vibrant, so.. sexy… I'd been hooked since day one. It was an endless string of sexual encounters and casual romances since then, but in the end, it was still him I'd wake up with on my mind, and inevitably he was the only one who was forever out of reach. He danced around me like the puppet he so despised being, and then he left Shinra to become the enemy. No wonder why, I'd intended on leaving myself after finding out what Hojo had done to him. But I couldn't. I'd have been killed. It seemed no matter what shit I pulled, he was always one step ahead, one step away, untouchable…I'd had him once though, I'd gotten him to

"Reno…" A soft voice said, as my eyes snapped to the door. Fuck, he'd gotten me so zoned out in just the thought of him that I'd missed the real thing coming in. Play it cool, play it cool…

"Yo."

Cool, not cliché, you idiot…

"How you feeling?" I asked, watching his eyebrows furrow slightly.

"Me? Not so great."

"Why's that?"

"Because nothing's changed…" He said softly, seemingly resigning as he sat down in the chair by my bed.

I know what he just said, but I also knew he hadn't meant it the way I had when I said it. I meant to make it out that it was the talking thing that hadn't changed, but I'd kinda meant matters of the heart. Cloud though… Ya couldn't read him…

"Nothing's changed, eh?" I prompted, and he did that evasive little turn of the head where his eyes slipped away from mine.

"Talk Reno, tell me everything."

I watched him for a few moments, trying to determine what it was exactly that he wanted.

"Where did you go, Reno?" He prompted me this time, "What happened?"

Where could I start? Not really finding an answer to that, I figured to do the only thing I'd been trained not to. I told him everything. I told him about Diablo, about the ring, about the mission, the makeover… everything. By the end of the night, I wholly intended on having Cloud back on my side, and I wouldn't stop until he was.

--

**A/N:** ^^ One more chapter, relax, I'm not ending it there. xD I'm a bit hooked on getting some story in before the smut, so that's why this chapter was a lot of action rather then… you know… 'action'. Lol. Read and review please. ^^


	2. Chapter 2

:(

This is for three people.

**Zali**, who I'm so sorry to hear about. R.I.P 3 Love and hugs to **Kallin**. *cuddles*

And, of course, **Stoic-Genius**, who will prolly never let me live down the lack of smut in 'Inebriated'. :/ lol.

**Warnings: Boy on boy ac-tion!** *cheers* Come on, rejoice with me!

**I don't own the characters and such**, or Crisis Core and FFVII itself would be rated R, where the boys could pick bed partners and such and you can choose what positions, how long, and if any kinky stuff is involved… *daydreams*

**I make no profit**, I'm poor, really. :(

**Language,** as always, is a factor. I blame Reno. .

--

He sat, stretched out languidly in his chair as his eyes scanned the ceiling, his lids drooping slightly as if he was really thinking some shit over. I guess it was a good thing, you know, that he was giving me the time of day I'd originally requested and all, I just wish it wouldn't take him so long to determine whether I was lying to him or not. Dumbass should know by now that he makes it damn near impossible for me to get away with it with him, so I gave it up a long time ago.

"So… it was Diablo you shot?" He asked finally, and I gave a small nonchalant nod.

"He's the kind of guy you don't feel bad about taking out, you know what I mean?"

"I can… I suppose I can anyway, I'm not overly sure whether I'd _enjoy_ it or not," he frowned slightly, and I held up two hands.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down there hotshot," I scowled, "It's not like I _like_ killing people, yo. The only thing that made me smile when that shit hit the deck was the fact that I was still alive and kicking. Nothing personal, all that shit lies with Tseng. Heck, I love Wutai and all, but it ain't _my_ home."

"Yuffie…"

"Yeah, your little Ninja princess was gonna have issues if Diablo kept up his iron grip," I shrugged, feeling another sharp stabbing pain through my shoulder, "I took her into consideration too."

It wasn't a lie, that kid had given me more grief than I could smile about over the past four years or so. She actually had come to the head when I was popping off rounds into Diablo's skinny white ass, primarily with the thought of how pissed Cloud would be that his little ninja friend was at risk from that ass.

He let out a long sigh then, his brows creasing as he leant forward and rest his arms on his legs. He was torn up inside, you could see it. He was stuck between his stubborn side telling him to stick with what he could see and what he could judge, and then his conscious and heart tag-teaming him for my sake saying 'Forgive the bastard!'

"You look… They really did an alright job," He remarked awkwardly, "I didn't know it was you for awhile…"

That's all he had to say?

"Eh, it's a little weird looking in the mirror and seeing someone else staring back at you," I shrugged, finding some small comfort that the stabbing pains were gradually becoming less painful.

"You caught on with the lingo, eh?" I added, smirking slightly, before he shook his head.

"No, I caught on with the eyes."

"The eyes?" No shit, really?

"Yeah, you had that same little flash of sadness in all your arrogance that you'd had when you brought down the plate," he said quietly, "When you were doing or saying something you didn't want to do, but you had to anyway."

I watched him a little curiously then, as he seemed to struggle for words to say.

"You alright?" I asked, and he let out another sigh.

"I don't know how I'm meant to believe you, but I can't help but find myself doing it anyway…"

Zing. One point for Reno.

"Maybe it's because a part of you knows I'm telling the truth, yo."

"I think it's more of a case of a part of me _wanting_ to believe you are," He scowled slightly, seemingly at himself.

"That'd probably be your conscious," I shrugged, and Cloud cocked an eyebrow right on back at me. Smart ass.

"Yeah, I have one of those too smart ass," I rolled my eyes, and he did it. He actually gave a hint of a smile. Blergjsujihreg! I hate when he does that shit. I'm lying down, and he's still got me weak at the knees. Gaia help anyone who got a look inside of my head, I make no sense to myself half the time. I smirked at him, and he leant back further in his chair, seemingly sensing what was coming.

"So…?"

"What?" he eyed me off suspiciously.

"You still want me?" I smirked wider, as a light flush crept along his cheeks, his composure slipping just a notch.

He stood and let out a soft sigh, heading for the sink on the furthest wall. The sun was just peeking out, and it was then that I realised we'd been up all night talking. Kinda romantic in a twisted way. Funny how I never felt fatigue all that well.

"I forgive you, if that's what you're after," He said finally.

"I'm after _you_, yo," I said bluntly, and he snorted lightly.

"Not very subtle are you?" He drawled, and I snorted myself. He was sounding more like me every day, and I have to admit, it was kinda turning me on. Then again, all he had to do was talk and he'd turn me on. He could say 'Today I stepped in chocobo shit', and I'd just about jump his bones. Didn't matter what he said, as long as it was Cloud who was saying it.

"You alright?" He asked, as he turned around with a glass of water and some pain killers, "Not like you to shut up for a full minute like that… You're scaring me…"

I scowled as best as I could, but he smirked, and I couldn't do much else but flip him the bird and take the damn water. This was so bad. I was a Turk, not a schoolgirl. I downed the pills and hissed a little as I made to roll over. Cloud gave a concerned look at my abdomen and gave a frustrated groan.

"Oh for crying out…" He scowled, "Do you think you can _not_ burst your stitches? Just for a day? Or are you intentionally being a pain in the ass?"

I gave a sideways look at my bandage and mused over the crimson liquid slowly seeping through it. Hrmm, well whaddaya know? I poked it a little and watched as Cloud swatted my hand away.

"You're like a six year old…" He grumbled, peeling back the bandage to look at the wound.

Truth be told, it was only a momentary sting really. I wasn't feeling much at the moment. I loved watching him concentrate. His eyebrows would crease a little, as he pursed his lips and occasionally poked his tongue out just a tad.

"Gaia… you're so beautiful…"

His eyes flicked to mine then. Shit... Wait, what? Did I seriously just say that out loud?

"Uhh…"

"Did you just say what I think you did?" He asked, slight amusement on his features. Asshole. Way to make a mockery out of my slip-ups. Way to go Reno, look what you've done now. Cool, be cool.

"I… might have… said… something…"

He let out a small snort. I swear I made me wanna kick my own ass sometimes. Fuck it. Clean cut answers work best.

"Yeah, I think you're beautiful when you're concentrating. I love the way your little tongue pokes out and licks along your lips," I shrugged, "And it's a nice change to see those brows furrow just a little in something else other than angst, yo."

He stopped what he was doing then, eyebrows furrowing further, apparently in cautious thought.

"You really pay a lot of attention, hey?" He said cautiously, and I shrugged.

"Only when it counts."

He went over to the first aid kit and took out a length of surgical thread and tossed it to me.

"I'm gonna go out for a bit. Pretty sure you can do a patch job on yourself, right?"

"Yeah… Where ya goin'?"

"Out for a while."

"Take me with you."

"Are you frickin' insane?" He scowled, and I offered a lazy smirk.

"Yeah. Now take me with you," I repeated, and he stood firmly where he was, shaking his head.

"You can't always get your own way, Red. Sit tight and heal," He scowled, and I simply smirked wider.

--

"So where we going?" I shouted against the wind running past my face. His own fault yo. He should know by now that I _always_ get my own way, and by him saying that wasn't true only forced me to nag more. He said nothing though, still hurtling across the landscape like a man on a mission. I was getting the feeling that he might just be trying to get me flung off the back of the Gaia damned bike again, before he gradually slowed to a stop just outside the old Fort Condor, you know, minus the Condor… So what the fuck do they call it now anyway, just Fort? Guess they didn't think too far ahead in that department… Ah shit… Thinking too much. He'd already hopped off the bike and was starting to climb the rope at the entrance before I'd snapped back to reality. And ooh Shiva, what a nice reality that was… He kinda wriggled his way up the rope, so much like he was back in his Cadet days, except now he was buff and entirely drool-worthy… I hopped off the bike and stood there for a few moments, before he threw a scrutinizing glare over his shoulder and caught me red-handed.

"Figured as much. Move your ass would you?" He scowled.

"Only if you keep moving yours…" I smirked, and even though he turned his face away, I didn't miss the slight pink tinge to his ears as he kept climbing. Nice… very nice… I still had it.

After a few more moments of mentally high fiving myself and smirking smugly, I climbed up after Mister Mercenary himself and looked up the porthole to meet a rather pissy looking Cloud's gaze. I kept climbing till I reached the top before he pulled me up by the scruff of my neck and held his face close to mine.

"Don't act up here or so help me Gaia…" He warned, but I was too lost in the proximity of his face to mine, and for a moment, apparently so was he. He couldn't have missed my eyes flicking from his turbulent eyes to his pouty little lips, but as I leaned in a little closer, he turned his head to left and I bit back on the string of curses threatening to spill from my mouth.

"Cloud!" A voice called as he abruptly dropped the scruff of my neck and I fell back to my feet. I dusted off my coat as he actually smiled and turned his attention to the sound of the voice. Urgh… a kid… Not that I hated kids or anything, just… Well you can't do _shit_ with a kid around, you know?

"Hey kiddo," Cloud smiled a little wider as the girl practically flung herself at his waist. Hey, hey, hang on a second. That's… you know… what's her face… Gun-guy's kid.

"Did you bring it, did you bring it?" She grinned up at him as he reached into his satchel and pulled out a small glowing stone. She squealed with delight before flinging herself at him once again. Stupid to be jealous of a kid, but it'd sure be nice to cling to his waist and not cop a knee to the forehead…

It was then that little Miss Ball of Energy turned her attention to me, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Cloud… he's a Turk…" the little one murmured, as he gave a small sigh.

"I know he is, Marlene… but he's really not so ba-"

"Yo kid, how's it going?" I smiled, sticking out my hand, as she stood firmly where she was and defiantly crossed her arms. Aw-kward…

"Don't be rude Marlene," Cloud chided.

"Yeah Gaia forbid we have someone else who thinks sunglasses indoors is cool in any way at all…" I rolled my eyes, and the kid let out a small snort, before forcing her amusement away.

"A-ha!" I teased, smirking, "She's got a sense of humour somewhere in there…"

She offered a tiny smile before bravely thrusting her hand in my direction.

"Alright Turk, I'll give you a fair chance," she nodded, as I shook her hand, "But you mess with me… he'll kick your ass…"

With that, she nodded in Cloud's direction as the blonde scowled.

"Marlene, what have we told you about speaking like that?" he chided again, as another voice called from upstairs.

"Fucked if I know where she gets it from!"

Cloud looked just about ready to face palm himself, just as gun-guy himself hopped down the rope ladder.

He paused as he spotted me, before straightening up and throwing me a cautious look. He then turned to Cloud who nodded his apparent okay, and gun-guy shrugged.

"Guess with the way shit is now, we're on the same team in a way, hey fierylocks?" He smirked, sticking out his good hand. I shook it, or more so, he shook me around a bit before ruffling the kid's hair.

"We'll deal with him kid. If he messes with you, me 'n Blondie here will kick some ass, how's that?"

The kid shrugged before waving, giving Cloud one more hug before she disappeared up the stairs. Cloud gave a small smile after her, and gun-guy gave him a clap on the back.

"You know she's likely to set some shit on fire, hey?"

"Eh, no longer my problem," Blondie replied with a shrug as gun-guy smacked him around a bit with his arm, letting out a scarily deep laugh.

"Smart ass son of a bitch!" gun-guy grinned, before turning to face me, his grin fading into a serious little frown. Eh… I smell a warning interrogation. These are always frickin awkward.

"What's the deal with you anyways? Since when have you had anything to do with this side of the fence?" he asked, as I flicked amused eyes to a mildly panicky looking Cloud.

Hey, I'm a dirty little secret huh? Well, well, well…

"I've had a fair bit to do with your side of the fence actually, as soon as Cloudy boy here pick-"

"Picked him up in Junon after he got shot at by some thugs," Cloud interjected, "I uh, helped him out of a mess."

Lying about our…'relations'…? Fuck, that stung. I had to check myself though, 'cause I'm pretty damn sure that Cloud had seen what that statement had done. He looked like he was regretting it already.

"Is that right then Slick?" gun-guy mused, "Getting' your ass shot at, and Cloudy boy himself comes ter save yer ass."

"Yeah…" I smirked a little bitterly, "That's exactly the story."

I gave Cloud a square on look then, and he turned his gaze away. Gun-guy seemed to miss the exchange entirely however, clapping his hand over Cloud's shoulder.

"So what drags your sorry ass to my little slice of heaven?"

"Red here keeps bursting his stitches. I know you keep medical supplies here, was hoping you'd toss some of it our way," Cloud murmured, and Gun-guy gave a nod.

"Be right back. Don't go kickin' his ass without me," Gun-guy laughed heartily again, before heading back up the rope ladder.

I counted. Time from when he went up the ladder till-

"Reno…"

Fifteen seconds. Nice.

"Don't even bother Blondie. I might have fucked up pretty bad," I paused, "But at least everyone knew what you were to me from the word go…"

It hurt saying it, but I certainly liked seeing it hit him just as hard. He scowled a little and turned away.

"You don't understand," He said quietly, and I shook my head.

"Nah, I think I've got a pretty good idea yo," I shrugged, falling back onto a dirty looking couch and reclining a little. He looked like he was about to say something, but Gun-guy pretty much flung himself down the rope ladder with a cheesy grin on his face.

"Ah, my little girl playing with materia shards eh?" He continued grinning, "She makes me proud."

Cloud offered a convincing smile in Gun-guy's direction, before taking the materials he thrust in Cloud's direction. Cloud held them out for me, and I kinda snatched them a little. I don't really give a shit, you know? Someone stings a Turk, they sting back. It's how the system works.

Cloud frowned a little, before Gun-guy grabbed him by the shoulders and steered him for the rope ladder.

"Check it out featherhead; come see her working her magic!" He grinned, as Cloud threw a look at me over his shoulder. I gave a little wave, bitter smirk still along my lips as he turned back to the ladder and began climbing it. Well, I got the shit I needed. Tseng got what he wanted, Blondie knew what had happened, and the heat had just about died down on me. So, what the fuck was I still stickin' around for? Who was I kidding really… in thinking that me and Cloud were back on the right path, you know?

"Later Blondie…" I murmured, before getting up and lowering myself down the rope. Stomach and shoulder still hurt like a bitch, but it wasn't that much of a big deal. Still felt kinda numb. Kind of a weird feeling, yo. I flung the little medical satchel over my shoulder and kicked a few stones out of my shoe. This'd be a hell of a walk, but I'd done worse. I stepped outside, and realised that the sun was a shitload hotter already than it was say twenty minutes ago. That's cool. My body could live off Mako for the next day or so. At least till I could rustle me up some fresh water. Or, well, at least until I could even find some salt water. Tasted like shit, but the mako made us like water purifiers, so at least my body would get what it needed. Yeah. I didn't need Cloud. I'd done a shitload on my own before, I could keep on that way. Aw yeah… one last thing…

I headed over for Fuhrer or whatever the hell it was called, and popped one of the five million side compartments. Yup, there it was. The phone, in all of its dull glory. I took it out and slipped it into my coat pocket. If Tseng was ready to come get me, he'd be able to track it and find out wherever the hell I was at the time. I closed the compartment and headed off, trying to ignore the dull little voice in the back of my head nagging me to turn back already.

'_What are you doing? You're leaving Cloud behind! Maybe you're looking at it from the wrong perspective. He sure as hell didn't seem too happy to have pissed you off._'

I scowled at myself and kept moving. Fuck him. Fuck you too Reno, Turks don't second-guess themselves. Shut up and keep moving.

"Yeah!" I said aloud, only to realise I must have lost the plot. I was arguing with myself. I kicked a stray pebble for the next half hour or so; looking for anything to keep my mind busy, but a part of me kept sticking to the same thought- Would he come after me? I thought on it for awhile and wondered if he'd even noticed I was gone yet.

"As if it matters…"

If he did, would I forgive him or what?

"Stupid question…"

…and if he still hasn't quite forgiven me?

"Well, fuck…"

I stopped in my tracks then, and shook off _that_ little thought. Thankfully, the cell in my pocket started ringing and I tried to take it out so quick that I fumbled with the fucker and dropped it. It flipped open just as I managed to slip out a somewhat loud curse.

I picked it up and held it against my ear, casually walking on as if nothing had happened.

"Yo."

"I heard that little outburst, Reno."

Nah damn it, Tseng.

"Sorry bossman. Dropped the phone and it kind of flipped op-"

"Where are you?" He asked.

Straight to the point, as always. He never really was one for small talk. I wasn't bitter towards the old coot though. He'd picked me up off the streets and taken me in. He was like… I dunno, not old enough to be a dad, or even a cool uncle… Big brother I guess? Made all the more sense with the fact that he watched each and everyone of my moves like a frickin hawk.

"Reno…"

"Yeah, yeah, sorry, Gaia," I scowled, "Can't even zone out for two seconds... I dunno, somewhere near that old Fort Condor place."

I looked over my shoulder and realised that I'd been walking longer than I'd thought. The fort was just about out of sight now. I'd say about 5-6 kilometers away, just past that ridge I'd crossed over. It was also getting cooler and the sun had almost abruptly slipped behind some clouds. Rain, that'd be just… peachy…

"Bout five to six kilometers out. Why, what's the deal?"

"How are your injuries?"

"Yeah, not too bad. Got a new medical pack. Should be perfect within two days," I shrugged, forgetting once again that the ass couldn't see me faking nonchalance.

"You never _were_ perfect," He said dryly.

"Eh, envy doesn't fit you well bossman. Anyway, what's your problem?" I shrugged, and his light tone faded away as quick as the sunlight had.

"Where's Cloud?" He asked seriously, and I hesitated. Wasn't sure whether the old guy would accept a cheap cover up and graciously ask no more questions, or, from the tone in his voice, if it was a little too serious to try cover up to begin with.

"Back at the Fort. We had a falling out and I pissed off," I said somewhat sulkily. I was expecting some kind of lecture from the bossman telling me to stop being a whiney bitch and to grow up etc. etc. Instead, he gave a disapproving sigh.

"You've put yourself in a potentially dangerous situation Reno. We've been monitoring transmissions between Diablo's men, and it appears through one means or another, they've discovered that you were staying at the cave sight," Tseng said lowly, "I sincerely hope you're not heading back there. You're undoubtedly in no condition to fight should the need arise."

"Well fuck, where the hell am I meant to go then?" I snapped, "We're the Turks yo, you guys should be able to come in, kick ass, leave, then take me back with you."

"Knowing that we're the Turks, you should also be aware that things are _never_ that simple."

"Yeah well, that's a fact of life," I shrugged, "I won't head back to the cave then. I'll hit up Junon or something."

"…Are you an idiot?"

Quite possibly, yes.

"Pffsh, no. You forgettin' who you're talking to?" I drawled and I heard him sigh on the other end of the line.

"No, _obviously _not Junon. Head into the mines if you have to. Do you have any materia or weapons on you?"

"EMR and some green glowies."

"Head for the mines then. There probably won't be any cell coverage in there, but I know there are some campsites scattered through. Stay there. We'll be coming within the next fourty eight hours."

I went to tell him he was a slack ass bastard if he couldn't get here before then, but he'd already hung up. Tseng- forever a pain in my ass…

I had every intention of heading for the caves, except… Well, it was kind of a stupid thing, but apart from bullet wounds and such, I always took a souvenir home from a successful mission. Just about the only thing I could deem salvageable was that Gaia damned kitten. You know the porcelain one with the cheesy little smile on its cheesy little face? Thing was, as an added thought, that thing had to be lucky. I'd been shot at, ran into walls, _and_ fallen off of the back of a motorbike, and it was still in one piece. I could even picture it, sitting on top of the dresser, waving its stupid little paw at me, kind of in mockery. I had to go back for it.

_You're undoubtedly in no condition to fight should the need arise._

Shut up Tseng. I swear, Gaia as my witness, I'd rather go down fighting than slink away with no fight at all. So, that thought in my head, I headed off. The sun had well and truly left by now, and there was a light sprinkling of rain beginning to fall. It didn't last long however, stopping after a few moments, only to be swiftly replaced with something akin to a torrential downpour. Just my luck, yo. Out in the middle of nowhere, no food, no shelter, no added brawn…

I stood where I was for a moment and looked up at the sky, the rain hitting my face hard and sliding down my cheeks. I opened my mouth and absorbed about as much of the shit as I could handle, before taking in the area around me. Smelt like wet dirt, really… No surprise there. Looked dry, like a rain like this was a blessing from Shiva herself, and the ground felt like a puzzle board beneath my feet, slates of dry earth cracking as I stepped over them. The cracks were filling up in a hurry too though, the rain wasting no time in saturating all of the ground it came into contact with. To be honest, I was miserable, and in my eyes, this was Gaia telling me exactly what she thought about my current state of mind. I muttered a few expletives, before quickening my pace in the direction of the cave. It took about an hour and a half to walk the distance, and I gave a bit of a quick look-over the area. It looked like I'd beaten Diablo's gang there, but you could never be sure. I hid in some of the foliage in the area outside the cave and took out my pocket binoculars. Diablo's gang was there alright. Either that or they hadn't long left. There was a trip wire set up outside the door and some kind of timer device attached to it. I could smell a bomb from a mile away. What kind of amateur did they think I was anyway, thinking I'd fall for a tripwire? I edged closer to the cave, keeping my eye out for any of Diablo's men, but it was as dead as a chocobo after race-day. Kinda eerily quiet if ya asked me… Made me wonder how many booby traps they'd se-

_Fuck_. I heard the soft click of the safety coming off a weapon and froze, my foot freezing where it was, hovered smack bang over a trip wire. Ooh, that was nice. I step on the wire; the gun goes off; sayonara Reno. Very nice, very innovative. I slowly stepped back a fraction and damn near shit myself when I was grabbed from behind, a hand clamped over my mouth, and a pair of metal handcuffs gripping the other. I struggled as best as I could, but this bastard had an iron grip.

"You'll end up getting yourself killed," An amused voice murmured in my ear and I swear to Gaia, I was _this_ close from turning around and head-butting the asshole. He took his hand off my mouth and I scowled.

"Fuck you Valentine," I snapped, as he let my wrist go and pulled me back from the wire. He offered a trace of a smile before gesturing for me to follow him. I did so reluctantly, and he took me a little further into the forest before he stopped me.

"Diablo's men are well and truly after you. Trip wire at the door, four others here in the forest, and a motion censored explosive by the back entrance."

"There's a back entrance?"

"Yes, where else would they have put the motion sensing explosive?" He said dryly, and I rolled my eyes.

"Yo, Valentine, I respect how good of a Turk you were and all, but cut out the whole being an ass thing, just for now?" I scowled, and his smirk grew.

"Fair enough. Basically Reno, you can't get in. I believe you have orders from Tseng to take shelter in the mines, it would be wise to follow those orders…" Vincent warned, and I gave him a suspicious look.

"You know way too much for your own good, Valentine…"

"You know far too little for yours," He replied, "I've been watching this place. They come back every hour and a half. Where's Cloud?"

I shrugged, and Vincent watched me curiously.

"Lover's tiff?" He suggested lightly, and I took him by the collar slamming him hard against the nearest tree. He barely bat an eyelid.

"Shut up Vincent, or so help me Gaia, I'll do more to you than Chaos ever could…" I hissed, and he bit back the obvious smirk that was rising.

"Temper, Reno. You're meant to be a Turk…" he chided, and I pushed back from him. Son of a bitch, vampire ass freak bastard.

"Fine, I'm heading for the mining caves yo. Don't trip a wire now, will ya?" I scowled, before turning to leave. I felt a metallic grip on my shoulder however, and turned to face him. He seemed somewhat apologetic, but between Turks, you could show whatever emotion you wanted them to see, and pull it off so that the other would buy it. Vincent was one of the best, he was all guess-work.

"It doesn't take a Turk to see that there are mutual feelings between Cloud and yourself," He said softly, "I'd simply suggest that whatever the dispute, both of you quit being so stubborn and open up to the idea of the other as anything else but a former enemy."

I walked off then. I really didn't need to hear it.

--

Urgh, Gaia. Caves creep me the fuck out. Truth be told, not that I was _scared_ or anything, just… I don't like bats, yo. I don't like their little eyes peering down at me from the ceiling, or the fact that they shit _everywhere_, or the fact that I was paranoid enough to startle a little whenever a few took flight. Moving shadows yo, we're taught to fight them, not sit back and think logically that it's a frickin bat… It had only taken a half hour or so to actually find one of the old mining quarters, and to be honest, it wasn't as shabby as I figured it would be. It even had one of those system lock-outs, where if there was a cave in, it air-locked the doors and pumped in oxygen from an outside vent. Was all part of Shinra junior's plan to create more revenue for the towns that needed it. Places like Kalm and even Junon relied heavily on mining, and Rufus was intending on showing the world that he was trying to help. I stretched out on one of the beds in the quarters and hit the button for the lockdown procedure. Heck, why not? The doors came to a grinding close and hissed as they sealed. The ventilation shaft opened and whirred to life, pumping in a new batch of oxygen as I kicked off my shoes and sprawled across the sheets. I was saturated, not that that meant much, and was tempted to peel off my clothes. Worst case scenario, Tseng comes in on a rescue mission and finds me naked. I mean, not like that hasn't happened before… Long story… Anyway, decided that if I was gonna die, it wouldn't be from pneumonia. I peeled off my clothes and switched on one of the little porta-heaters, before dragging it over by the bed.

The sheets on the bed looked a little sketchy, so I chose to stay on top, listening to whirring of the ventilation as the rain 20 or so metres up echoed down the shaft. I sometimes kind of thought of these kinds of careers, you know? Something where I didn't have to kick ass all the time. Something where I could just take a break every now and again and block out the rest of the world except for the whirring of a damned ventilation fan. Every time I thought on it though, it came back to the same conclusion. I was a Turk cause it was the only thing I was good at, and that's really all there was to it. I had nowhere else to go. No skills but murder, and kidnapping, and espionage. Nothing but a bad record. Imagine my resume, huh? Then again, with Tseng as a reference, I reckon I could land any job I wanted in Midgar. He had this weird way of being not only a reputable Turk, but a reputable businessman. People damn near bowed to him.

"Reno?" A voice called me from my musings as there was a loud banging on one of the air locked doors. I sat bolt upright. Who the _hell_ would know that I was here?

"Reno?"

I heard the voice a little clearer that time. Cloud. I swear I just about passed out on the bed then and there.

"What is it Strife?" I said coldly, hands behind my head as I stared up at the ceiling.

"You gonna let me in Red or what?" He replied, seemingly annoyed.

"Pity I don't know how…" I shrugged, "You'll have to wait for Tseng to rock up yo."

"I don't _want_ to wait for Tseng," He snapped, "I want to talk to you, face to face. Open the damn door."

"Told you, dunno how."

Yeah, okay, I was a stubborn ass, whatever, but it was the truth. I just remembered that Tseng knew how they worked and expected he'd tell me when he showed up. Blondie then sighed loud enough that I could hear him through a few centimeters of steel, before I heard him walking away. Urgh… Don't you hate when you know you've done something wrong, and you really didn't mean it all that much, but there's no real way you can take it back? Well, if you didn't before, that moment was one of those.

I was left to stew in my thoughts for about fifteen minutes or so, before there was an odd sound I couldn't quite place my finger on. Initial thought was that there really was a cave it, before Cloud fell in through the ventilation shaft and landed gracefully on his feet. I just about shit myself.

"Fuck Cloud, what the hell are you doing?!" I snapped, as he smirked, before his eyes widened and he turned away.

Oh right, the nudity… Eh, better not to make an awkward situation worse. I reluctantly slipped under the covers, and he reluctantly turned back around.

"Falling in through the fucking ventilation shaft, you crazy bastard," I shook my head, and he shrugged.

"Had to get in somehow," Cloud remarked dismissively, "You gonna talk to me?"

I shrugged, and he frowned deeply, his eyes still not meeting mine directly.

"Listen Reno, I…" He stopped; seemingly not having the words he thought he had to explain himself.

"Nah, I think I get it now…" I said quietly, "You like the danger of fucking a Turk, but you don't like the rep that comes with actually being with one. What would your buddies think if they knew that you'd actually been upset when I'd disappeared off the face of the map? What would they think if they knew how I felt about you, yo?"

"That's not it…"

"Nah, it wouldn't be. 'Cause if I said anything, you'd just deny it and they'd eat whatever story you had lined up on the palm of your hand. Like today, huh?"

Ooh, that stung him. You could tell, 'cause he floundered a little, shook his head and then clenched his fists a little tighter.

"I had to stand there like a dick, yo. Why? Cause I embarrass you," I said flatly, a little too cautious of putting in any emotion, as he finally got the balls to meet me square in the eye. Son of a bitch… He looked frickin' hurt, and it was coming straight back to me. He was pro at guilt tripping a guy, I'd give him that.

"You wanna hear the truth? Then listen. You wanna believe whatever you want and not even give me the time of the day to talk to you, then whatever, fuck off…" He said softly, and I reeled. Quoting me word for word.

This ain't the same kind of thing though. For one thing, I hadn't lied about Cloud, or to him. He'd really had no reason to be hurt other than I couldn't stay in contact. Secondly, Cloud could have gotten the fuck outta there when I said that to him. I'm pretty sure there's no way to climb _out_ of the ventilation shaft, so where was I meant to go to clear _my _head? Eh… I guess this time there was just no avoiding it.

"Go on then…" I resigned, and he sat on the bed beside me. He put his elbows on his calves and leant forward on them, staring at his shoes.

"You know I'm not exactly a big talker…" He started, and I snorted. He gave me a warning glare, and I waved my hand for him to continue. He turned his gaze back to his shoes.

"With the way things were with Tifa and me, and with the kids when they were still living with us… It was difficult, you know?" He shrugged. He didn't seem to actually wait for a response from me however, before carrying on.

"I… didn't really know who I was or what I was aiming for. The General… Sephiroth… was gone, and I had a lot of people looking to me to look after Tifa and the kids. They expected us to get married and all, but…"

"But you weren't into girls."

"Yeah. Well, I didn't know still…" He blushed a little, and I felt a little more of my pissy attitude slipping away. Fuck me, it couldn't be…

"They don't know you're gay, do they?" I asked, and he opened his mouth to apparently say something, before simply shaking his head.

"No, they don't."

"That makes a shitload more sense…" I said quietly, sitting up as he watched me with cautious eyes.

"Reno?" He pressed a little, and I cocked my head a little to the side.

"That first time, at the bar… You weren't really that drunk, were you?" He asked, and I just about choked on my own tonsils. How the _hell_ could he know that? I knocked back enough Mako Spritzers to just about kill a guy, flared my Mako a little for effect and even managed to swagger along the street like I didn't have a clue about anything. I'd worked my ass off that night on the odd chance that if shit went to plan, and things actually happened with me and Cloud, he could blame it on the booze the next day if the need arose. A Turk's gotta keep his pride, and I sure as hell didn't wanna go bruising Cloud's. Ah shit, taking too long to answer him, I know, cause he's got that little look on his face like he's just had an amazing revelation of sorts.

"How'd you know?" I replied finally, and he shook his head.

"Your eyes were glowing like they are now, but I know you're sober today…" He said quietly, "Did you think you'd need alcohol to snatch me up?"

Pffsh…

"No. I just knew that every time I went for you, you shoved me away. It's like the more I wanted to get closer to you, the more you left me barking up the wrong tree. Or so I thought anyway. I thought you hated me," I shrugged nonchalantly, sobering up a little from the endorphin buzz that Cloud usually gave.

"Hah…" He scoffed a little, "I thought you were playing me."

"Playing you?" I asked, trying to keep the hurt from my voice. I knew I had a rep, but if only he knew why I'd thrown myself out there. If the little bastard knew it was to try and wean myself off of _him._ He's like a fucking drug.

"Yeah, it's why I got so shitty when you tried to… you know… mark me…"

Ooh, I like that terminology. I used it quite frequently, but I loved it when he said it…

"I marked you 'cause I thought you were mine by that point, yo," I shrugged, leaning forwards to smirk at him. His eyes flickered a little, before setting firmly on mine.

"…You think that's changed?" He said a little dryly, and I choked back on those tonsils again. Did he just mean what I think he meant?

"You saying what I think you are?" I asked a little huskily, and his eyes flashed dangerously.

"Mark me, and find out…"

I blinked at him stupidly for a second; letting those implications sink in, before I just about launched myself at him. His lips met mine with as much pent up longing as I think I'd kept in me for the past few months. His tongue lashed against mine, his hands sliding around my waists to rest on my bare ass. I couldn't help it, I grunted a little in his mouth, as I delved my hands into his hair and broke apart from his lips to latch onto his neck. I wasn't gonna lie, I missed the taste of his skin. It was a little salty, probably from sweat, and it was soft, smooth, and pliable. He arched his head back as my lips worked harder on his demand, and he let out a shaky breath as I bit a little harder against his skin. He gripped my ass a little harder, and I switched back to devouring his lips as we fell backwards, him sprawling across my chest in a heap as we did so. I hated that he was still fully clothed when I was naked and hard against him, and apparently so did he, as he fumbled with his shirt and pants. I helped him as best as I could with our lips still attached, and then there it was, skin on skin contact.

"Fuck…" I hissed and he paused, breaking apart to nibble slightly at my lower lip, eyes probing mine. Before he could ruin it with some smartass little comments, I flipped him over and straddled him a little as he let out a hiss of his own. His eyes snapped shut as he thrust a little against my hips before the fluttered open again, burning with a mix of desire and mako. Hot. So hot.

"I love it when you lie there like that, writhe underneath me like a dirty little whore," I smirked, and he scowled slightly, even as his cheeks flared up. I lowered my hand to his cock and fondled it a little as he let out another hiss between his teeth, and I struggled not to do the same.

"You want me?" I teased, smirk along my lips. I could tell that he did, but that insecure part I often tried to quash with alcohol and action was bubbling up and begging that he say it… His eyes flared with mako, and he damn near set me ablaze.

"I want you…" He said huskily, and I quite literally seized up, before he pulled me back to his lips. I had the distinct feeling he was trying to eat me, but there were no complaints arising there. I played with him then as his length throbbed in my hand, before I dragged my lips from his and trailed down his chin and down along his chest. His breathing was sharp and short, and I knew I had him aroused to the point of no return. A brainwave struck me however, as I recalled the last time I'd done this, and he'd managed to tug so hard on my hair that he'd pulled a noticeable chunk of it out. Mako strength was a bitch. I stopped kissing midway down his chest and watched him with cautious eyes, as he watched me right back with curiosity. I reached my hand over the side of the bed as I kissed my way back up his chest, finally finding what I'd been looking for. I grabbed both of his wrists then, forcing them above his head before tying them together with my discarded tie.

"…What are you do-"

He tried to question, but I cut him off with a kiss to the lips, tying his bound wrists to the headboard of the bed. I sucked a little on his tongue as a means of distraction, and he let a low growl rumble along his chest.

"Mmmm… Come on now baby, be reasonable…" I purred against his lips as I slid back along his chest, lips trailing down his navel and coming to rest on his more than eager cock. He tugged on his restraints and let out a frustrated groan as I kissed along his length, before his groan changed tones entirely as I engulfed it wholly in one fluid motion. He let out a shaky moan as I dipped and sucked, working my tongue around him as he thrust slightly into my mouth. I pressed my tongue along the underside and dragged it up with my lips, as he continued to pull and tug on his restraints. I slipped my fingers into his mouth and provocatively slid them in and out, as he eagerly laved and covered them with saliva.

"Gaia Reno…"

Shiva, what that did to me… I hummed around him then, letting him know how his pleasure fuelled mine. I could last the entire night hearing nothing but those shaky little moans and gasps, and feeling nothing but his pulsing, and his heat…

"Reno…" He warned, and I slowed my assault, as he bit down on my fingers in his bid to stop his climax. I'd admit it, the pain felt good, as I felt his teeth break the skin.

He laved apologetically once he'd calmed, and I drew my fingers from his mouth, his wrists still tugging at his restraints, as I slowly breached him with one finger. He threw his head back, and his fingers curled into fists, and I smirked against his stomach.

"Tell me if I'm hurting you baby, and I'll stop…" I reassured, not entirely sure that at this point I'd be able to if I tried.

"You stop… and I'll kill you…" He warned, and my ego inflated tenfold, as well as my own uh… problem…

"You have no idea what you do to me…" I purred, sliding another finger in and scissoring, as his back abruptly arched of the bed. Jackpot. I repeated the gesture several times until he was pulling so hard on the headboard I was worried he'd either snap the tie or the board itself. Ah Gaia, he was gorgeous. He's cheeks flushed, his hair tousled, and his skin burning hot to the touch as I slowly replaced my fingers with something more satisfying. I stayed still then, both of us breathless as we adjusted to the new deal going on, and I watched him with unguarded admiration. He turned a hooded gaze to me and I leant down to gently toy with his lips. This apparently caught him off guard as much as it did me.

"…Reno?" He asked softly, as I rested my forehead against his, "You okay?"

I trailed my fingers down his side and nodded slightly. I couldn't stop it, it was coming out like a bullet from a gun, and I knew that no matter how much I floundered and spluttered, it'd still be said, and be fucked if a part of me wouldn't regret it sometime in the very near future…

"I love you, yo…" I murmured, and his eyes held mine for so long I thought he'd fallen asleep with them open. That was, until he kissed me back, his eyes drifting closed as I pulled back out slightly and thrust.

He bit on my lip, a grunt falling from his lips as he slowly rolled his hips to meet with mine. Gaia, this was some high quality shit…

"Untie me…" he murmured against my lips as I reluctantly complied. Immediately, his hands were on my hips, guiding my, grinding me against him as I gradually built up the pace. I rocked against him a little harder, and hit that spot a few more times right on, as he groaned against me and held his breath each time. Last time had been a frenzied, drunken fuck really… sure, it had meant something, but it didn't hold a bar against this. His facial movements, his fingers, his rhythmic thrusting and clenching and kissing. It was a whole new ballgame before, and admittedly it frightened the fuck out of me. I thrust harder, a part of me begging for it to end before something good happened. I wasn't used to these thoughts, and these feelings, and Gaia… he was tight… he was so tight…

"Fuck…" I hissed, as he came and clenched tighter around me, pulling my own orgasm from me. I watched his face as he came, his lips forming a soundless cry as his breath caught in his throat, his nails digging into my skin. It was then that the thought struck me that I wanted that kind of moment to last forever, and I'd be fucked if I knew why I wanted to rush it, as I collapsed on top of his chest, my breath coming out in ragged pants.

We lay there for some time, as his fingers slid through my hair and along my cheekbones. I felt better than I had for a heck of a long time, but sure enough, I was uneasy about my uncharacteristic admissions… Usually, as a Turk, you give someone an emotion and they'll use it against you. A part of me couldn't shake the thought that Cloud only wanted me as a fuck buddy. Whilst he certainly was top of the list in fuck buddy terms, I must've been sick or something, because I kept getting the nagging feeling that that maybe wasn't all I wanted from him. I mean fuck yo, why else would I have blurted that bullshit before if deep down it wasn't bullshit after all?

"Reno…" he said quietly, seemingly as much in thought as me, and a part of me shit myself again. He was gonna ask about it. I was gonna have to confront that little bastard in the back of my head telling me exactly what I knew and felt…

"Yeah?"

Real intelligent Reno, real nice.

"You meant it, huh?" He asked, as his fingers stilled in my hair and I stubbornly refused to meet his gaze.

"Meant what, yo?"

"You love me."

Fuck. Fuck! What do I say? What was I meant to say? I don't even know why the fuck I said it to begin with; it just kind of… fell out…

"Yeah."

_What?!_ I really needed to set my brain and my mouth up for a conference call next time I planned on speaking.

It was quiet for a shit of a long time after that, and I reluctantly raised my eyes to his, to check if the bastard had fallen asleep. He hadn't though, and he smiled as I held his gaze. One of those genuine smiles too, and a part of me was wondering what the hell I'd done to ever deserve one of those.

"I feel the same."

Back up, what?

"…What?"

"…What you said… me too… you know…" He shrugged awkwardly, and my heart felt like it was thumping through my frickin' chest. Best we make this as… less awkward… as possible… I threw on my biggest shit-eating smirk, and gazed up at him, as his cheeks flared with colour.

"You know I'm a little slow Cloudy baby, maybe you need to spell it out for me."

"You know exactly what I mean bastard," He murmured, and I cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh really? Maybe I just like watching you squirm then."

"Asshole."

"Clouuuuud."

"Reno…"

"Shut up."

"Say it."

"Bastard."

"Stubborn ass."

"I love you."

"Ass and a ha-"

Oh… well fuck… he said it. Fuck! I choked back on the nervous little laugh threatening to spill out of my mouth, as the smirk slid from my face. No-one had ever loved _me_ before. Usually got treated like a common street rat, Turk, scum of Gaia, etc. etc.

"Reno?"

"Mmmm?"

"You're thinking too much, it's scary," he teased, as I did a feline like slide up his chest to nip at his chin.

"Smart ass…" I purred, as he pulled the blanket over the top of us and smirked devilishly, his fingers trailing along my bare back.

"How long till Tseng comes looking for you?" he asked, and I smirked back at him.

"Do we really give a shit, yo?" I asked, and if his lips locking on to mine were any indication, I'm guessing his answer was no.

--

**A/N:** 3


End file.
